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CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
How Vaccination Rumours Spread Online: Tracing the Dissemination of Information Regarding Adverse Events of COVID-19 Vaccines
International journal of public health, Vol.67, 1604228
2022
PMID: 35707226
Abstract
Objectives: To trace the emergence and dissemination of the most prominent rumours about potential adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines.
Methods: We use a weekly Google Trends search to gather information about what alleged adverse events are being associated with COVID vaccines by the general population. We then use CrowdTangle and Factiva searches to examine how discussions about the five most prominent adverse events have spread through traditional media channels and Facebook.
Results: Traditional mass media reporting remains crucial in both promoting and moderating discussions around alleged adverse events. While some cases illustrate that social media networks can synthesise and amplify rumours about adverse events, traditional media coverage remains crucial as a forum for exploring and debunking spurious claims.
Conclusion: Traditional media stories still bear signficant responsibility as credibility markers for rumours about vaccine adverse events. Journalists should therefore be encouraged to be particularly earnest when reporting such stories, and the scientific community should aid journalists in this task by clearly responding to any rumours emerging online.
Details
- Title
- How Vaccination Rumours Spread Online: Tracing the Dissemination of Information Regarding Adverse Events of COVID-19 Vaccines
- Authors/Creators
- Tauel Harper - The University of Western AustraliaKatie Attwell - The University of Western Australia
- Publication Details
- International journal of public health, Vol.67, 1604228
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media S.A.
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- Western Australian Department of Health Future Health Research & Innovation Fund COVID-19 Focus Grant Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Catalyst grant
- Identifiers
- 991005679940307891
- Copyright
- © 2022 Harper and Attwell.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Media and Communication
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Citation topics
- 1 Clinical & Life Sciences
- 1.104 Virology - General
- 1.104.2777 Vaccine Hesitancy
- Web Of Science research areas
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
- ESI research areas
- Social Sciences, general